


The day the sun lost its vibrance

by missMien



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Miscarriage, Mpreg, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 05:56:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7347877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missMien/pseuds/missMien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The day Rhys found out he was pregnant was both a happy and a nervous day. </p>
<p>The day Jack found out Rhys had lost the baby was hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The day the sun lost its vibrance

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so hiiii  
> This is my first try at a mpreg fic. I normally avoid them since I don't like children in fics (only in fanfics! I swear I don't hate them irl ) So this is probably the closest you'll get from me in terms of mpreg.

The day Rhys found out he was pregnant was both a happy and a nervous day. He wasn’t sure how Jack would take the news. The man had never really talked about whether he wanted kids or not. They had been together for a good year or two, but talking about kids never came up in their conversations. So this conversation could go two ways. Jack would either be furious with him or he would be happy. Either way, he would have to tell the man. When he finally got the courage to tell Jack, he was met with a crushing kiss on his lips. Rhys could only look dazed at the man in front of him when he started talking about how excited he was. Rhys had hoped for a little excitement, never expecting the giddiness Jack was currently radiating. The older man may or may not have mentioned wanting an army of little Jacks. Rhys may or may not have chuckled at the comment.

The first three months were pure bliss, minus the morning sickness but that had luckily passed when he entered month 3. Rhys felt great and he couldn’t contain his excitement. Nothing could bring him down when he was 16 weeks into the pregnancy. He was carrying the child of the CEO of Hyperion, and he had a small baby bump to prove it. Naturally they told everyone they knew, even the people they disliked. Jack insisted on telling everyone, just to rub their happiness in their faces. And of course Rhys didn’t object. Jack was the most considerate partner he could ever dream of. He made sure that Rhys felt comfortable at all times, for example: placing a blanket over him at the slightest shiver. The older man even went out of his way to offer a foot massage at the end of each day. Rhys often declined but the man would cuddle up to him, purring about how many kids would follow after this and that he needed his feet to be well rested when he had to run after them.

“Can you imagine, Rhysie? In a couple months, we’ll have our own little kid running around.” Jack’s voice contained so much excitement. The pregnant boy had never seen the man so giddy. They often daydreamed about various scenarios together. What gender the kid would be. Jack of course insisted it would be a boy, he was sure of it. They also talked about how he would look. Who’s eyes would the baby have? Would he have Rhys’s nose or Jack’s? Rhys let out a content sigh. What did he ever do to deserve this? Life was so good.

“I don’t think walking is something a new born is gonna be able to do, Jack.” Rhys softly chuckled. Jack hummed as a response before scooting closer and rubbing his boyfriend’s belly in a protective manner. Rhys wasn’t even showing much but the man besides him found joy in touching his stomach whenever he could. They enjoyed the rest of the evening, huddled up next to each other on the couch.

   


That evening was the tipping point of their happiness. Everything went downhill from there. Nobody ever suspected for the events to turn sour so incredibly fast. A week later, Jack was typing away at his desktop. He was very relaxed, ahead of schedule. He put his feet up on his desk as he sank back in his seat. Life was indeed good. _Ping._ The CEO grumbled at the sound of his echo device going off. What now? He was just in the middle of daydreaming about the perfect evening. His little Rhysie whimpering beneath him as he slowly slammed his d-. _Ping._ Goddammit. Fine. He accepted the call and waited for whoever had a death wish to speak.

“S-Sir?” A croaky voice vibrated through the echo. Jack groaned. Great. It was someone who sounded terrified, he couldn’t wait to hear what they had fucked up. People still seemed terrified of him, although the last couple of months he had airlocked way less people than usual.

“Yeah? You better make this quick. Handsome Jack has got better things to do than to listen to someone whimper in fear.” Jack sounded a bit amused, but anyone who knew better would say that he was more annoyed than amused.

“It’s about Rhys, sir.” Jack jolted when he heard Rhys’s name. He leaned over to the echo device and narrowed his eyes.

“What about him?” Silence. “I freaking asked you something. What. About. Him? I suggest you answer now before I airlock you into friggin’ space.” Jack sneered at the man.

“I think it’s better to tell you this in person, sir. Rhys has also requested your presence.”

“What part about telling me now don’t you understand. Unless you want to know if space is nice this time of the year?” There were a few moments of silence after Jack’s threat. He was about to yell at the man but the voice suddenly spoke up.

“Rhys has had… a miscarriage, sir.” Suddenly Jack couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. What? But how… Why? He didn’t get it. Rhys seemed fine this morning, a bit tired but not too much. And now… Now he… He has lost the baby? Jack shut the echo device off and hurried out of his office. He went immediately to the elevator and pressed the button for the floor of the medical wing, not forgetting to press the priority button so that it made no stops in between. He cursed a couple of times and banged with his fist against the metal wall, enough to leave a dent. When the elevator doors finally slid open, he was greeted by a small medical team. The doctor in charge told him which room Rhys was in and he wasted no time getting there. They tried telling him about what had happened, but Jack didn’t listen. He was more worried about Rhys than to hear whatever the clowns had to say. Which was actually related to Rhys, but panic clouded his thoughts and all he could think about was seeing his boyfriend. He paused when he arrived at the door, not knowing what to expect. The doctor behind him politely questioned his sudden apprehension. But Jack being… well, Jack –  told him to get lost or that a bullet would get lost in his brain. The man seemed to get the obvious hint and disappeared into the white halls. Jack took a deep breath before pushing the door open, his stomach tied with knots. His brows furrowed together when he took in the state of the room. Rhys was sitting in a white bed, knees pulled up to his chest. His face was devoid of any emotion as he seemed to gaze at the white wall next to him. He appeared so small… So fragile. The many wires connected to his body didn’t help ease any of Jack’s worry. Numerous papers were lying on the floor and a monitor was pushed over. Some of the wires lay on the ground between the papers, probably ripped out by the young man.

“Cupcake?” Jack softly called, almost afraid that speaking any louder would break the boy. Rhys’s head snapped to the side and upon meeting Jack’s eyes, his face scrunched up and a pitiful sob fell from his lips. Jack crossed the room in a second and pulled Rhys into a tight embrace. He ran his hand through the crying boy’s hair, whispering soothing things into his ear. Rhys only responded by sobbing louder and curling his fingers around the fabric of Jack’s shirt. Jack wanted to tell him that he was going to fix this, but he couldn’t. How could he? He knew how awful he felt when he heard the news, he can’t even dare to imagine how Rhys must feel. The boy lost something that was growing inside of him. A life that was growing inside of him. No matter how bad Jack felt, it was nothing compared to his boyfriend’s pain. They stayed there for what seemed forever in this position. Rhys had stopped sobbing, reduced to miserable sniffles.

“I’m so sorry, Jack.” Rhys croaked against the CEO’s chest. Jack’s eyes widened before pulling back to look at the boy’s face. He softly placed his hands on the boy’s cheeks.

“No no no, pumpkin. Don’t say that. It’s not your fault, sweetheart.” Jack gently said as he wiped some tears away. Rhys shut his eyes and softly shook his head.

“’s my fault. Should’ve been more careful… Should’ve done something. Why aren’t you mad at me? I k-killed our ba-aby.” Rhys choked on a sob as he tried to speak. Jack shushed him, hoping that the action would somehow help Rhys calm down. He was taken aback when Rhys blamed himself for the miscarriage. It was expected for Rhys to feel guilty but to say that he killed the baby was a complete surprise.

“Pumpkin. Listen to me. This was not your fault. I’m not mad at you, far from it actually. Hell, I don’t even deserve to be _slightly_ annoyed. This was way out of your power, kiddo. And you didn’t… You didn’t kill the baby. As I said. This was _not_ your fault.” Jack assured. He couldn’t think of anything to say that would comfort the weeping boy. If he were Rhys he probably would be inconsolable too. Jack just opted for holding the boy, not knowing what else besides being here he could possibly do.

Rhys was released a day or two after that. The doctors told him he should get enough rest and take it easy. The boy didn’t even respond to them, he just hid his face into Jack’s chest, whimpering about how much he just wanted to be home. When they finally arrived home, Jack offered to order some take-out since it was very late. Rhys only shrugged in response before telling the man that he was going to lay down in their bed. Jack looked at him with worry. He knew it would take a while before the boy would recover, both mentally and physically. However that knowledge didn’t stop him from worrying. He hated seeing the usually chipper boy so glum and sad. He ordered some pizza, knowing that Rhys would appreciate it. Jack usually stayed away from fast food but maybe this could lift the boy’s mood a bit. The pizza arrived quicker than he thought, probably due to threatening the workers. He accepted the pizza and gave the delivery guy a big tip. The poor guy was stunned when Jack gave him the money. That wasn’t so surprising. Jack wasn’t really known for being kind. But this whole situation made him feel a bit generous. Maybe being nicer to a few people would help his karma.

He took two slices out of the box and placed them onto a clean plate. Rhys would probably be very hungry. The medical wing wasn’t known for their good food. He made his way upstairs and softly knocked at the door. He pushed it open, only to reveal pure darkness. Jack turned on the light, smart enough to use the dimmer and only let a dim light illuminate the room. Rhys was lying with his back to the door, curled up in a little ball.

“I brought you some food.” Jack said as he made his way to the boy. For a minute, Jack thought Rhys was fast asleep. But the boy slowly turned his head slightly, looking at Jack with squinted tired eyes.

“… I’m not hungry now, Jack.” And with that he turned his head away again. Jack placed the plate on the nightstand before putting his hand on Rhys’s back. The boy shivered at the touch.

“C’mon pumpkin. You hardly ate these past few days. You gotta eat, Rhys.” Jack pleaded. He wasn’t really used to begging people but this was his boyfriend. He would do more than beg if it meant that the boy would feel better. Rhys stayed silent, opting to ignore the words instead of acknowledging them. Jack let out a shaky sigh. Okay maybe the boy needed some space. He didn’t really get any alone time to process everything. And with that thought Jack left the room, occasionally he checked up on the boy but he never got a response when he asked how he was feeling.

The following week proved to be no better, if not worse, than the day when they first got home. Rhys almost ate nothing, Jack only managed to convince him to eat something when he stayed next to the boy for hours begging. And even then Rhys only took a few small bites before pushing the plate away. The boy also continued to stay in bed, although he sometimes got up to clean the bedroom. Jack figured that it was some sort of coping mechanism. Rhys still hadn’t said a single word to him. At night he even refused to be held, sleeping as far away as he possibly could from the older man. Jack was at a loss of what to do. He saw the boy wither away in front of him and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. He didn’t only lose the baby, he was losing Rhys as well.

Jack awoke one night due to something tugging beneath him. He groggily opened his eyes and groaned. Suddenly the movements stopped and Jack looked at whatever woke him up. Rhys was staring him in the eyes, like a deer caught in headlights. Jack wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he was stunned. Rhys hadn’t acknowledged his existence for more than two weeks and now the boy kept staring at him, his mouth slowly opening and closing again. Almost as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to.

“I…” Rhys began, his voice shaking. “I... bled on the sheets.” Rhys quietly said, his voice was on the verge of breaking. Jack almost didn’t hear what he had said due to how softly Rhys was speaking. Jack pushed himself up and crawled over to the boy, ignoring the sharp intake of air when he got closer. He carefully reached out to the boy and led him to the bathroom connected to their room. He ordered the boy to sit down on the toilet seat as he went back into the room to grab some fresh clothes. He turned on the light to change the sheets and let out a quiet gasp when he saw the blood. The doctors had told them that it would be normal, but he figured Rhys was lucky enough to have skipped that part. How could he have been this stupid? Rhys wasn’t cleaning to cope… He was cleaning because he bled. Jack wondered how much Rhys wasn’t telling him. How much he bled. How much physical pain he was in. The older man realized that he had no idea how hard it was on the young man. He changed the sheets, dumping the bloody ones in a trash bag. He made his way back to the boy with fresh clothes. When he came back into the bathroom, Rhys was softly crying. His hand clamped over his mouth to silence the sounds. Jack helped him change and cleaned the still weeping boy. Rhys had pushed against his hands, saying that he could do it, but Jack ignored him and continued wiping the blood off with a wet washcloth. When he was done, he placed a soft kiss on Rhys’s head and pulled at his hand to bring him back to bed. Rhys slowly laid himself down.

“Get some rest.” Jack said as he walked over to his side to climb into bed. Rhys scooted closer to him and laid his head on top of Jack’s chest. His actions were careful and hesitant, almost as if he was afraid that Jack would push him off. There were a few moments of shock before Jack wrapped his arm around the boy’s waist. He hadn’t expected Rhys to cuddle up to him.

“I’ve been sleeping all week. I think I rested enough.” Rhys voice held a familiar tone of stubbornness. He often used this tone on Jack when they were joking around. Jack almost let out a laugh at the words. They were so Rhys-like. And he had missed the boy’s voice. He responded by a soft hum and pulled the boy closer to him.

“I feel so empty, Jack.” Rhys whispered. There it was. Jack could almost cry tears of happiness. Not only was the boy finally talking to him, he was also confiding in him. Neither of them said anything else after that. Rhys cried on Jack’s chest as Jack ran his fingers through the boy’s hair. When morning came, Rhys was still curled up next to Jack. The older man finally took a good look at the boy. His cheeks were a little sunken in and he could feel every rib in the boy’s chest. His hipbones were also slightly poking Jack as he held the boy tighter. Rhys definitely lost weight.

When Rhys woke up, Jack asked him if he bled much. Although he worded it very careful so that he wouldn’t freak out.

“Some days more than others. But it’s not so heavily anymore.” Rhys’s voice was flat, he sounded tired. He sounded dead. Jack winced at the tone. But at the same time he was glad that Rhys wasn’t shutting him out anymore. He still wasn’t used to hearing the boy’s voice in this way, but this was better than complete silence.

“C’mon let’s get some breakfast.” Jack said as he untangled himself from Rhys. He went downstairs, scared to look behind him. He did however look behind him and saw the boy following him. He gave him a small gentle smile and asked him what he wanted to eat. Rhys shrugged but after a couple seconds of silence he replied with freshly baked eggs.

It took three weeks after this before Jack could convince Rhys to leave the apartment. They weren’t out for long, but they talked a bit and it was nice. Jack avoided the busy places, knowing that Rhys wouldn’t feel comfortable with so many eyes on him. Things were starting to look up again. But one conversation Rhys had with a stranger destroyed any progress they had made. Rhys sobbed in Jack’s arms, cursing himself for being so weak. For letting the baby die. Jack kept reassuring him that it wasn’t his fault but the words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

“He asked about the baby.. He asked… God.. Ja-ack.. He asked about it.” Rhys cried. Jack made a mental note to airlock the man. Sure it wouldn’t really help but he was angry. He needed to do at least something. And if killing the man who made his boyfriend cry would help then he would do it. Deep down, Jack knew that Rhys wasn’t crying because of what the man said. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Rhys stopped eating completely after this. He didn’t even take any small bites. Jack’s begging got more and more desperate. It had no effect on the boy. He kept saying how he didn’t deserve to eat. He killed the baby. He should pay. Jack should be mad at him. Jack for the first time in his life, felt completely useless. There was absolutely nothing he could do besides telling the boy how much he loved him. But no matter how much he told the boy, he got no other reaction than the boy crying harder. Jack often had to bite back his own tears. He needed to be strong for the boy. One day when Jack brought Rhys some food, and the boy refused for the umpteenth time. He got upset enough at the whole situation and started yelling at the crying man. Did he want to die? Did he want to leave Jack? Was Jack not good enough for him? They had lost the baby and he wasn’t going to lose Rhys too. He wasn’t really mad at the boy but his frustrations kept building and building. After he had stopped screaming at the boy, Rhys crawled towards him and took the sandwich of the plate. He slowly took a few bites and kept going until he finished it. He gave Jack a small shaky smile and said that he would try to eat more for him. Jack felt a bit guilty about letting his anger take over but it was completely drowned out by relief.

The following weeks had their ups and downs. But they were slowly recovering from the events. Rhys started putting on more weight, enough to make Jack worry less about it. Rhys had stopped saying it was his fault. And Jack kept telling him how much he loved him each and every day. Of course there were days were the boy screamed at the top of his lungs. Asking why him? Why them? What he did he do to deserve this? Jack enforced a new rule at Hyperion. No one was allowed to talk about the baby ever again if they valued their lives. They often went for a walk, talking about whatever they could talk about. The walks were usually very short but enough to lift their moods. Every time they went out, Rhys was able to handle being around more people again.  


Then after seven months Jack found Rhys sitting on the bathroom floor, hands pressed to his eyes. He was bawling, tears running freely despite trying to stop them. The CEO wasted no time to drop to the floor and hug the boy. He was bit surprised by the crying. Rhys hadn’t cried so hard these last months. He shushed the boy, told him that it was going to be alright. Rhys kept shaking his head, trying to say something but everything that came out sounded as a high pitched whine. Jack’s eyes fell on a small rectangular piece of plastic on the floor. A pregnancy test?

“I… I’m pregnant, Jack.” Rhys cried. The young man was obviously in distress about the news. Jack froze and then he felt joy spread throughout his body.   


“Rhysie, that’s great. Why are you crying?” He pulled the boy closer to him, trying to convey his happiness to him.

“I’m scared…” Rhys whispered to the man’s chest. Jack softly smiled at him. Of course he was scared. Anyone would be.   


“That’s okay, pumpkin. It’s okay to be scared.” Jack cooed as he petted the boy’s head. They stayed on the floor for twenty minutes in silence before Rhys spoke up again.  


“I… Think I’m – we’re gonna be fine though. A-As long as we’re together. As long as I have you.” Rhys shakily breathed out against Jack’s chest. The man agreed with him. Everything would be alright. As long as they had each other.  


**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if the ending is a bit tooo rushed. I might rewrite that part one day. But anyways~  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
